Shelving



06 17, 1933. zlMMERMAN 1,930,787

SHELVING Filed March 11, 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 fzzaevzZ gas-572425666Fran/Z: f7. Zzwawzemar; M 72M.

Oct. 17, 1933. F. M. ZIMMERMAN 1,930,737

SHELVING Filed March 11, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 2055 7265565 5 ffiarz/A1. Zarzwzermz. f 2 3 Patented Oct. 17, 1933 UNITED STATES 1P; mtl'iaOFF E SHELVING ank M- mm man, Au ora .11 Application March 11, 1932.Serial No. 598,197 i 2 Glain s, (Cl- 211-7148) This invention relates toshelving and more especially to a system of shelving of a Varietyadapted for general display and storage use, particular reference beinghad to use where conditions call for mobility of shelving and for readyadjustment thereof as to extent and capacity, as for instance in stores,warehouses and the like.

In the general shelving practice heretofore, it has been customary,whenever changes were made, to salvage the old shelving, as in grocerystores, etc., as well. as could be, as when the premises are vacated, orthe store location moved. The shelving is then rebuilt again on the newpremises and reused. The main objection to this procedure is thedepreciation and waste encountered incident to taking out anddismantling the shelving. This is due to the substantial permanency withwhich the shelving is originally assembled. In the present inventionsuch needless waste is avoided.

The main objects of this invention are toprovide a system of shelvingadapted for inexpen sive manufacture, ready assemblage and convenientknockdown salvage, and which shall also be adapted for successivereassemblage and use; to provide such a system adapted for substaniellyunitary organization for any desired length; to provide iororganizingand readily assembling the shelving elements in rigid and substantialrelation by directly interfitting the various cornponent partssubstantially free from accessory fastenings, such as hooks, nails,screws and the like; to provide therefor a system of uprights, shelves,spacers and crossbars, etc., so formed and correlated as to enable readyassemblage, through unskilled labor, by dropping successive members intoplace in interlocking relation; and to provide for positivelyinterlocking the elements all in rigid relation by tensional setting ofthe uprights in vertical stringer relation to the other members.

This invention is illustrated by the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a system ofknockdown shelving, adapted for indefinite horizontal extension, theview being broken away at the left.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, thelower medial part of the view being broken away.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2 withparts broken away.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional plan view taken on he 111, 41 o F g, 3with par s, brslssn away. i

F g.- 5 s a e t cal ec iona V ew of a mod f ed i m o s nstmstion embdying stee shavi g an W hs eflap s el ,le n s i ead of butt joints.

g 6 is ssc nal plan e batsme th li F g- 7 is e ic l t o l v ew of a medfi il orm o shelvi g. m e ea al mo an 6 tak n abeu a in Fisbu t one sidoi the upr ghts F g -8 i a s ctional plan Vie t en Ion th line 8-8 ofg.- 1

Fig. 9 is a irasmsntary pe spe ive isWQ 7o p ht sh wing the m unting ofhe she ve and o sba s.-

Fi 1.0 is ase tional V ew taken en the line i -10 9i Pie 7.- Y 1 ig- 1is a ect n ew s a s gh me ii sa on ta n ub a ly as in F gu e and i l t ss b ta in e loc in 9f. t e shelving in d nt t he la wash s, again t esihl separativeendwise tension efiects.

.In he con tru t on hown in F ure 1 to fl; so i h sh n y tem a a Whole cprises pr ht p ts or b t 1. dis o e a se ie o pai s, one st b hin he oher. and being threaded at e end o serve a t nsio t e strin e s. sh iispacers 2 t ung 0. sa d ll ig Q$b :3 8 a n d ne ove anothe 9 said sweetvertically spaced shelves a as of wood, resting i sb ape ur s ear nPlats q ers ism-need abov a bslow and tha be a ains sasbspase s s own .Fsur Z and ad u t bl lo r bear n 6- These pp rts or; ee 6 .com risssach a-shap he is osed with on am; e e t ot er extendin horizontal th u er bin s cu ed t the wer end at a bol 1 b a V nut 1', and the lower armbeing attached to a manually adjustable foot 8 as shown in Figures 1 and2, for leveling the system as a whole.

The system is assembled by starting at the bottom and building it up.The bolts 1 are at- 1 0,0 tached to the supports 6 in vertical positionas shown. The lowermost washer 5 may be tight fitted on the threaded endof bolt 1. The crossbars 3 have end apertures 9 to receive said bolts onwhich they are assembled or strung. The shelves 4, in order toaccommodate the bolts 1, are apertured medially as at 10, and areendwise slotted complementally as at 10'. The end apertures 10 arearranged thus so that the abutting shelves will accommodate the bolts 1at the joints. The shelves are how placed on top of the crossbars 3, thebolts 1 serving as tie stringers. Washers 5 are now placed on top of theshelves, one for each upright 1. Tubular spacing elements 2, preferablyof metal, are next added, being strung on the uprights 1 and seated onthe washers 5. 7

Additional washers 5 are next placed on top of the spacers 2, thensimilar crossbars, shelves, etc., until the construction reachesthepredetermined height for which it is to be built. Washers 5 and top nuts11 are now placed on the tips of the uprights 1 and tightly set, makingthe construction rigid and obviating the need of nails or screws, etc.

This stringer bolt feature of construction, it

' may be seen, enables readyassembly and salvage without any losswhatsoever.

The crossbars 3 may be secured to the shelves 4before assemblage of theshelving if desired, for greater convenience, especially for all woodshelving. For instance, referring to Figure 3, the bar 3a may bepre-fastened to an end of one of the shelf boards, as by glue or nails,and the bar 3b may be pre-fastened likewise to a medial part of a shelfboard.

In the modified construction shown in Figures 5 and 6, steel shelving isused instead of the thicker material wood, and the only substantialdifference is that the ends of the shelves 4 overlap and no crossbarsare ordinarily necessary, but such may be added wherever extra strengthis necessary. As will be apparent from the drawings, the ends haverelatively deep slots 10", so that when the shelves overlap they combineto form a round aperture. Holes may be used in place of the end slots10'', as will be apparent, whenever preferred or where a more securefastening is desired, adapted to more positively resist endwiseseparation of shelving sections.

With a view to providing for an appearance of simple, all-Woodconstruction, a further modified form is shown in Figures 7 to 10, inwhich the stringer bolts are concealed in wooden shelf spacer casingmembers. Here are shown rearwardly facing U-shaped wood pilasters orchannel members 12, which extend from the lower shelf to the top shelfin front, with the bolts 1 extending through the troughs 12 thereof.These uprights 12 are secured to the upper and lower shelves (and alsoto feet members) in the same manner as hereinbefore described, that isto say, by the bolt and nut setting feature. The rear spacers 13'are ofthe same general description as'the pilasters 12, but are cut inpredetermined short lengths according to the height of the space betweenthe shelves 4a.

The ends of the crossbars 3 are slotted as at 14 and14 and havesemi-dovetail tongues 15 formed thereon in front. The pilasters 12 areprovided with corresponding semi-dovetail grooves 16 to admit thecrossbar tongues 15.

The top bar 3" is perforated rather than slotted at its ends. The topshelf or cover 41) is wider than shelves 4a and is perforated for thetie bolts 1 at its front and back.

In assembling this form of shelving, the bolts 1 are set in place on thebottom bars 3 and then shelf 4 is applied. The pilasters 12 are addedand the lower spacers 13 are inserted. Then tongued bars 3' are set inplace, left end first and then moving to the right as viewed in Figure7. Then shelf 4a is added, left edge first and then by rightwardmovement it seats in the upper part of notch 16 and locks the bar 3 inplace, and so on. Then the top bars 3" are added and the top board 41)set in place. Then the top nuts are applied to bolts 1 and theassemblage is thus ;set rigidly as an interlocked structure.

Indicia holding means or label holders 17 are provided at the front sideof each shelf in all embodiments for receiving price tags and the like.

Whenever the system of shelving, whatever length of shelf sections isused, is so long as to require an endwise series of shelf. sections, theupwardly successive shelf sections are mutually staggered so as to breakjoints. This is illustrated in Figure 1.

Although several specific embodiments of this invention are hereinshownand described, it is to be understood that details of theconstructions shown may be altered or omitted without departing from thespirit of the invention as defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a knockdown systemof vertically multiple shelving, an uprighthaving an inwardly facing semidovetail notch, the lower side of which isinclined, a crossbar having a semidovetailed end fitting downwardly inthe said upright notch with a superjacent part of said notch unoccupiedby said crossbar, and a shelf resting on said crossbar and extendinginto and substantially occupying said superjacent notch part andsecuring the crossbar in its semidovetail joint position.

2. In a systemof shelving of the class described, an upright having aninwardly facing semidovetail notch, the lower side of which is inclined,a crossbar having a semidovetailed end fitting downwardly in the saidupright notch with a superjacent part of said notch unoccupied by saidcrossbar, a shelf resting on said crossbar and extending into andsubstantially occupying said superjacent notch part, and means securingsaid shelf against receding from its said position of occupancy.

FRANK M. ZIMMERMAN.

